1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for managing communication in a system comprising a device, a gateway and a server. In particular in relation to devices in a field in one of the group of cellular telephony, mobile broadband, broadband, WiFi, WiMax, LTE, automotive, cable TV, set top boxes, embedded radio modules, PCs and netbooks and also in the management of other mobile terminals or fixed customer premises equipment (CPE).
2. State of the Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional device 10, provided in communication with a server 20.
At a conceptual level (see FIG. 2), control of the device 10 comprises a number of different levels or tiers of functionality. At a lowest level 12, a user of the device 10 interacts with the device carrying out operations defined by this first level of functionality 12. For example, with a mobile phone, such functionality may include making phone calls, sending text messages and/or saving contacts or calendar data to the device 10.
A second tier of functionality 14 is of a higher level and is typically performed by a “management authority” of the device 10. Functionality such as modifying software on the device 10, configuring connections settings on the device 10 backing up data from the device 10 or immobilizing the device 10 (“lock and kill”) are represented in this higher level tier 14. The management authority may be one of the group of a user, network operator, service provider, device manufacturer or employer of the user of the device 10.
This functionality 14 is achieved through communication that uses a management tree structure. A representation of this tree structure can be synchronized between the device 10 and the server 20 through the “SyncML” protocol, with actions such as GET, ADD, UPDATE and DELETE performed on nodes contained within “Management Objects” arranged on the management tree through a “continuous provisioning” method. This is achieved through an HTTP (or HTTPS) session, where XML elements are communicated between the device 10 and the server 20. Additionally alerts may be generated by the device 10 outside of the continuing provisioning session and these may be transmitted by for example, HTTP, HTTPS, SMS.
In order to enable the functionality tier 14 (through Device Management (DM) continuous provisioning), the device 10 must be initialized or otherwise configured to receive such instructions through a “bootstrap” event. The bootstrap event loads relevant network settings onto the device e.g. a server address (URL), network access point, authentication credentials etc. The bootstrap event may be performed, for example, over-the-air (OTA), during manufacture (embedded in a memory of the device), from a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) or Smart Card.
Standards have been introduced to define mechanisms by which devices can be managed, however, implementation of the, or each, standard is open to interpretation. A primary disadvantage with the aforementioned system is, thus, that the implementation of the device management (DM) standard may be inconsistent between device manufacturers and even devices from the same manufacturer. Consequently, a server vendor must individually test each and every device 10 against its server 20 to achieve a full understanding of the specific tree structure to thereby ensure accurate communication between the device 10 and the server 20 before functionality 14 can be offered. This “interoperability testing” results in a huge burden on the server vendor particularly in fast moving technological fields in which new devices are introduced to the market place very frequently.
Interoperability testing is time consuming and expensive as every combination of device 10 and managing context must be tested. Furthermore, device vendors are generally reluctant to share specific details of the device 10 prior to launch for competitive reasons.
It is, therefore, desirable to enhance a method of controlling devices whereby a consistent interface mechanism is provided and an improved level of control is achieved in order to overcome some of the aforementioned disadvantages.